Tag Archives: Foursquare

Most of us are now well-versed with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. These seems to be the “Big Three” when it comes to social media. But my latest love is by far Foursquare.

Foursquare “is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things.” By checking-in to different places, you are able to share experiences with your friends and earn badges in the process. When you have checked-in more than anyone else at a particular location, you are dubbed “The Mayor”. If someone surpasses your number of check-ins, you get ousted. That’s where the competition comes in.

As our nation finds itself in the midst of a recession it got me to thinking…If enough people start using Foursquare, and our inherent competitive nature takes hold, could Foursquare become a virtually free economic stimulus? The other night I went with a good friend to eat sushi. I was definitely excited to try a new place (Matsu Yama) since it came highly recommended. However, the fact I was going to check-in and have the potential to unlock a new badge or to oust someone as Mayor got me excited.

I mean, not Christmas-morning excited…but needless to say, I was looking forward to checking in. I was going to eat with my friend regardless whether I had Foursquare or not…but in my mind it gave me that extra incentive to go.

Now I don’t have any numbers to back up this theory and there’s probably too few people to make a significant impact, but it doesn’t keep me from wondering how mobile social media games (competitions) might eventually drive the economy. So, download Foursquare now! It’s your duty! Let’s get this economy going!